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UN Concerned Over Al-Qaeda Prisoners Treatment
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 2 (IslamOnline) - Expressing concern over the treatment of Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners in Cuba and Afghanistan, the United Nations called for a tribunal to determine the status of these prisoners.
"Dr. Kamal Hussain (a U.N. representative who recently visited Afghanistan and Cuba) expressed concern over the treatment of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda members detained at a U.S. base in Cuba and some 3,500 people held in Shebarghan province, Northern Afghanistan," said UN office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) spokesperson Ariana at a news briefing in Islamabad.
She quoted Dr. Kamal as saying " we have underlined the need for the interim Afghan administration to see that their treatment of prisoners is in accordance with international humanitarian law, and respects and treats prisoners humanely." Hussain is expected to return to Afghanistan soon to look into issues including treatment of thousands of prisoners in Afghan jails.
She said that the U.N. human rights representative in Afghanistan called for a tribunal to determine the status of prisoners of Cuba. About the situation inside Afghanistan, she said that the security situation in Southern Afghanistan is improving. The region is accessible from Pakistan and Iran through all key-crossing points. However, she said, "the road from Dilaram to Herat continues to be insecure and Kandhar and Kabul highway is not safe for evening travel."
In another development, she said, "the interim administration has released salaries for the central police in Kandahar."
Discussing education inside the war-torn country Ariana said that the Kandahar nursery school is operating and is holding mid-term examination. Some 20,000 boys and 5,000 girls have been enrolled in schools at primary level in the region, she added. The demand for education, she informed, is greater than what the educational institutions can provide.
She also briefed reporters about the internally-displaced people inside Afghanistan. She said that 414 families arrived at Maslakh camp, adding, "the camp would be closed for new arrivals shortly and a new camp would be opened."
Meanwhile more than 18,000 metric tons of food have been distributed in the four provinces in Western Afghanistan, she said.
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